Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-21

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The graph below shows the number of shops that closed and the number of new shops that opened in one country between 2011 and 2018.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Number of shop closures and openings 2011– 2018

Student answer (Band 6.0)

The graph illustrates information about the of number of shops that were shutdown and the number of new shops that were established from 2011 to 2018 in one country.

As can be seen from the graph, the highest number of shops were opened in 2011 while the highest number of shops were shutdown in 2013. In 2015, the number of shop closures dropped significantly and reached to its lowest.

In 2011, new shops were massively established as 8500 new shops came into operation that year but the number significantly dropped as only 4000 new stores were opened in 2012. In 2013 and 2014, 5000 and 6000 new stores and shops came into operations. The shop openings decreased in 2015 and 2016 as only 4000 shops were established. There was a sharp decline in establishing new stores as only 3000 stores were started in 2018 which was lowest compared to other years.

The number of shops that were closed in 2011 were 6400. The shop closures increased in 2013 as the number reached to 7100 which was the highest number of shops that were shutdown. 6500 shops came to its closure in 2014 while the number drastically dropped because only 500 shops were closed in 2015. Furthermore, it significantly inclined in 2016 as the number of shops that were shutdown increased to 5100. After which the shop closures remain stable for 2017 and 2018 as only 5000 and 5100 shops were closed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You identify the main extremes and the striking fall in closures in 2015, and you cover both series with relevant figures. However, the overview is brief and does not clearly summarise the broader contrast: openings generally declined after their 2011 peak, while closures fluctuated and recovered after the 2015 low. Some figures are inaccurate: closures peaked at about 7,200 in 2013, not 7,100; openings in 2014 were about 6,200, not 6,000; and closures in 2015 were about 600, not 500. The final closure figures are also slightly understated. More accurate reporting and a fuller overview of the overall patterns would make the response more complete and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, an overview, and separate paragraphs describing openings and closures. This makes the two data series easy to follow, and time markers such as “In 2011,” “In 2013 and 2014,” and “After which” help establish sequence. However, the overview is short, and the body paragraphs mainly list figures rather than making comparisons between the series. Some linking is mechanical or awkward, particularly “Furthermore” and “After which,” the latter beginning a sentence fragment. Grouping related changes and using clearer transitions to compare the trends would create smoother progression and stronger cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a suitable range of vocabulary for describing the graph, including “dropped significantly,” “sharp decline,” “increased,” and “remain stable.” These choices generally communicate the trends clearly, and the response attempts varied alternatives for “opened” and “closed.” However, some expressions are inaccurate or unnatural for this context: “massively established,” “came into operations,” and “significantly inclined” do not collocate naturally. “Shutdown” is also less appropriate as a verb for shops than “closed.” Aim for precise, conventional chart language and avoid changing terms simply to create variety; “shop openings rose/fell” and “closures reached a peak/a low” would be more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses with “while,” “as,” and “which,” and most of the meaning remains clear. Some grammatical errors persist, however. The opening phrase “information about the of number” contains an unnecessary article and disrupts the sentence. Subject–verb agreement is inconsistent in “the highest number of shops were opened” and “the number of shops … were 6400”; the grammatical subject “number” takes a singular verb. There are also awkward sentence constructions, such as “After which the shop closures remain stable,” where the opening clause is incomplete and the tense shifts. Check agreement, sentence boundaries, and consistent past-tense reporting.

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